Voter Registration

General Instructions

These are general instructions for residents of Massachusetts, if you have specific questions for the Northampton Registrar of Voters, please contact 413-587-1290. The Northampton Registrar of Voters office is located in City Hall:

210 Main St., Room 4Northampton, MA 01060

Requirements

Only a person who is:

US citizen

Resident of Massachusetts

18 years old on or before election day

Registration

On Line via Sec. of the Commonwealth website. To submit an online application, you must have a valid driver's license, learner's permit, or non-driver ID issued by the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV). You must also have a signature on file with the RMV.

By Mail: Mail-in registration forms (PDF) are widely available. If you are in Northampton you may stop by the Registrar of Voters Office in City Hall to pick up a form. To have one mailed to you, call the Secretary of State's Office at 617-727-2828 or 1-800-462-VOTE.

Completed voter registration forms should be mailed to the city or Town Hall where you reside. If you reside in Northampton the form can be mailed to:Registrar of Voters210 Main St.Room 4Northampton, MA 01060

You should receive a confirmation notice in 2 to 3 weeks. If you do not, please contact your local election office to verify your voting status.

In Person: Go to any registration location and complete an affidavit of registration, which must be answered truthfully under the penalty of perjury. The questions on the affidavit will include your name, residence and date of birth.

At the Registry of Motor Vehicles: Keep your motor voter receipt until you receive confirmation from your local election official. If you do not receive any confirmation, please contact your local election office to verify your voting status.

Waiting Period

There is no waiting period to be eligible to register to vote. If you move, you may register to vote as soon as you move into your new home.

Outside Northampton

You may register to vote in person or by mail, by completing a mail-in registration form and delivering it to your city or town election office, or at any local election office in any city or town in the state and at any registration event you encounter anywhere in Massachusetts, or when applying for or renewing your driver's license at the Registry of Motor Vehicles or when applying for service at a designated voter registration agency.

Registration forms are also available at all colleges, universities, high schools, and vocational schools.

Address Change

If you have moved within the same city or town, notify your local election office of your new address in writing. If you have moved to a new city or town, you must register again.

Deadlines

In order to vote you must be registered 20 days before all primaries and elections, and/or 10 days before a special town meeting.

Identification

If you are registering to vote for the first time in Massachusetts, you need to attach identification to your voter registration. Because of a new federal law, the Help America Vote Act of 2002 passed by Congress, if you registered to vote by mail on or after January 1, 2003, you will be required to show identification when you vote for the first time in a federal election since registering by mail in 2003, or you can send in a copy of your identification with your voter registration form.

Acceptable identification must include your name and the address at which you are registered to vote, for example, a current and valid driver’s license, photo identification, current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, government check, or other government document showing your name and address. If you send in a copy of your identification with your mail-in voter registration form, it may not be returned to you.

If you do not provide such identification, the Help America Vote Act of 2002 requires that you may only cast a provisional ballot which will be counted later, but only after your eligibility to vote has been determined

Confirmation

If you have not received confirmation of your voter status from your city or town election official within two or three weeks from the date you registered please contact your local election office to verify your voting status.